Well, Easter 2014 went off without a hitch!!! My favorite part of course was watching my little girl experience all of the holiday traditions for the first time with big bright eyes and a smile to boot. This year was so different than last year when she was a stationary little 3 month old so we were so excited to pack our Easter full of fun and tradition. In the early AM, little one rose extra early than usual, I like to think in the anticipation of wanting to see what the Easter Bunny had brought. After being sprung from her crib she walked out of her room only to go straight for the diaper bag by her toy chest; no surprise that she literally locked eyes on Mommy’s bag that’s strictly off limits, completely overlooking the oodles and oodles of new toys and treats that the Easter Bunny had brought. After a little redirection, her eyes locked onto the mound of Easter fun that awaited her and with mouth open in shock she went straight for her brand new plush Minnie backpack from Mommy and Daddy!
With no problem, she had sorted through her Easter Basket and the toys along with it, scattering everything throughout the entire living room. Onto a quick breakfast and a little playtime and then we were off to church. A lengthy church service later and our little toddler was excited for fun with her cousins at Nanny and Pop Pop’s house! The Easter Bunny had made a stop there too, leaving lots of fun surprises for her and her five cousins. What caught my daughter’s attention there? Well that would be the eggs that we had dyed last weekend there in preparation for the Easter Bunny’s visit. She promptly dug out the dyed Easter eggs from her cousin’s baskets and brought them back to Mommy and Daddy for her to examine and play with…it’s the simple things right!!! After two quick Easter egg hunts, one at Nanny and Pop Pop’s and back at home, which I’ve now learned is probably one of her favorite activities to participate in, it was time for lunch and a much needed nap before dinner.
Being the first year that we actually hosted the holiday dinner at our home, I was so excited to create some gluten free menu items that everyone could enjoy! We usually run our holiday dinners in kind of a potluck fashion where each family member brings along a different dish. So this year, going along with tradition, my parents prepared the ham and baked beans, my grandparents brought along a potato salad, my aunt a fruit salad, and my cousin and siblings added a side dish or dessert and some of the other dinner essentials. As far as my contributions, I prepared my grandmother’s coleslaw, deviled eggs, jello jigglers for my nieces and nephews, and strawberry and vanillla chex treats that I was first introduced to by Iowa Girl Eats.
In preparation this past week for the cooking fest that was about to occur for the holiday, I was so busy running around to multiple food stores, picking up different gluten free items that I needed. Yes I did say multiple food stores, as life cannot be as simple as for my main grocery store located only 10 minutes down the road to have everything. Can you tell that this is a huge sticking point for me? Do any of you have to frequent multiple food stores to collect your favorite gluten free products? Anyway, little one and I made our way to some of my favorite gluten free havens, Wegmans, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s, where the aisles are much more welcoming to the gluten free shopper. Although I try to only make occasional trips to these, mainly because of their appealing gluten free selection always causing more of a small grocery shopping trip than a quick stop, unfortunately for my grocery budget this week, I also stocked up on a few other different gluten free items that hadn’t made an appearance in our house in quite awhile. Finally all stocked up and ready to go, I was ready for our Easter dinner and couldn’t be more excited for our awaiting menu.
I must say this year, our dinner did not disappoint. We had a ton of variety for all of our diners, gluten free and non-gluten free. Take a look at some of our menu choices below and feel free to give some of the dishes a try for dinner tonight, your next cook out, or even one of the next holidays!
- Main Dish: a Cook’s spiral ham…This one unfortunately was not gluten free. In past years it has been, but Cook’s has indicated now that although their ham is inherently gluten free, the suppliers of spices and other ingredients can alter their formulations thus changing gluten content as well. Sadly, Cook’s indicates that they cannot guarantee that their hams are 100% gluten free, which for me makes it 100% off limits. To read their gluten statement, take a look at their FAQs section on their website here. For my gluten free substitution I contemplated making my own small ham or ham steak but to be honest I was short on time and was really in the mood for a lunch meat kind of ham (not very special and holiday like, but it was tasty to me). So instead of a potential gluten run in, I ate a gluten free Black Bear Virginia Ham sandwich substitute, delicious!
- Gluten Free Baked Beans: This one is one of my dad’s signatures. He’s been making these ever since I can remember, definitely making them a holiday tradition. In recent years, he’s had to adapt a little and make sure all of the ingredients are allergy friendly and gluten free, but still follows the same recipe!
- 7 lb 2 oz can Pork and Beans (our store brand is gluten free, but choose whichever brand is gluten free that is available to you)
- 1/4-1/3 cup French's Mustard (gluten free)
- 3/4 cup Heinz Ketchup (gluten free)
- 1/2-3/4 cup Vermont Maid Maple Syrup (gluten free)
- 1 lb Bacon Ends (choose a brand that is gluten free that is available to you)
- Brown Sugar to dot top of baked beans
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Spread baked beans in a 16 x 13 baking pan.
- Add 1/4-1/3 cup of mustard to center of beans and stir to combine. Add either amount depending on personal taste, i.e. if you love a mustard flavor go with the 1/3 cup.
- Place 3/4 cup of ketchup to center of beans and stir.
- Stir in 1/2-3/4 cup of maple syrup until all is combined with baked bean mixture. Again, add either amount depending on personal taste, i.e. if you like a sweeter baked bean than go with the 3/4 cup.
- Dot top with brown sugar and use a knife to swirl into bean mixture.
- Lay 1 lb of bacon ends evenly across the entire surface of the baked beans.
- Place prepared baked beans on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 3 hours or until bacon is crisp on top.
- Enjoy!
- Gluten Free Potato Salad: This one along with my coleslaw, are family staples. We always have a potato salad and coleslaw for our holiday meals. Now that I’ve inherited the coleslaw recipe from my grandmother, I get to make that one a few more times throughout the year along with each holiday. The potato salad though is still my grandmother’s favorite and is a special treat for everyone just on holidays; she even makes sure to use gluten free ingredients for me (Love that!)!
- 5 lb bag of Yukon potatoes (use 1-2 potatoes per person)
- 4 hardboiled eggs (or more if desired)
- 1 cup celery (about 4 stalks; adjust this number if you prefer more celery)
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- Hellmann’s Mayonnaise (either regular or light, both are marked gluten free; amount varies depending on number of potatoes used)
- Light Sour Cream (check the label and call the company of whichever brand you choose unless it states gluten free explicitly on the label; amount varies depending on number of potatoes used)
- Paprika
- Salt to taste
- Wash and clean as many Yukon potatoes as needed.
- Add potatoes to pot and cover with water.
- Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender.
- While potatoes are cooking, prepare hardboiled eggs.
- Pour off water and leave potatoes in pot until cool enough to handle.
- Peel and cut potatoes into quarters or bite size pieces and add them to a large bowl.
- Peel and slice two of the hardboiled eggs for adding to the top of the salad and chop remaining two and mix in with the potatoes. (Feel free to adjust this if you'd like.)
- Chop about one cup of celery (4 stalks); this amount can vary according to personal taste, add more if you're a celery lover or less if you prefer.
- Mix celery in with the potatoes and eggs.
- Chop one medium yellow onion and combine with the potato mixture.
- Prepare mayonnaise and sour cream mixture, similar to the dressing used for my coleslaw, creating a 2:1 ratio of mayo to sour cream. Taste mixture, making sure there is a good balance between mayonnaise and sour cream. Prepare plenty of dressing to make sure the potato salad is nice and creamy. Amounts will vary depending upon how many potatoes you need but my best advice would be to start with a larger amount and add what is needed; don't be afraid to make more later, just make sure you taste as you go!
- Mix in dressing with the potato mixture, making sure all is coated and creamy. Make sure you add plenty of the mayo and sour cream mixture, as the potatoes are sure to absorb some of it and you don't want a dry potato salad.
- Taste and add salt as needed.
- Top with sliced hardboiled eggs.
- Dust top with paprika.
- The secret to this one is to use enough dressing to keep it creamy!
- Gluten Free and Dairy Free Deviled Eggs: These are by far one of my favorite side dishes for holidays or everyday. They’re such a tasty little side that always remind me of family get togethers and summer cookouts, making them perfect for any dinner! Check out my recipe here for these wonderful gluten free bites that are easy to make and enjoyed by all.
- Gluten Free Coleslaw: This a perfect combination of finely chopped cabbage, mayo, and sour cream. Just season with salt and top with paprika and you’re ready to enjoy. This year I received the stamp of approval from my grandmother, this recipe’s founding mother, making it taste just that much better. Give this one a try this summer or for any holiday dinner. Check out my gluten free coleslaw recipe here.
- Gluten Free and Dairy Free Pasta Salad: This year my sister-in-law treated us allergy folk as well as all the other diners to two versions of a pasta salad, only difference was the pasta used! Gluten free pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and carrots all topped with Wish Bone Italian Dressing! Just simply cook your pasta of choice according to the box directions, chop up any type of add ins you’d like, and top with the desired amount of Wish Bone Italian Dressing (or really any gluten free dressing)! So simple, yet so delicious!
- Gluten Free and Dairy Free Strawberry and Vanilla Chex Treats: I came upon this recipe just in time for Easter thanks to Iowa Girl Eats. Instead of making a strictly gluten free version though, I made a dairy free one as well, perfect for my little allergy ridden nephew! These are absolutely delicious with the combination of the freeze-dried strawberries and the Vanilla Chex! I’m so glad I have some leftover for my family to nibble on today!
- 4 tbsp gluten free, dairy free butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 10 oz bag mini marshmallows (I used my store brand)
- 13.5 oz box Vanilla Chex
- 1- 1.2 oz bag freeze-dried strawberries (I used Crunchies brand, purchased at Wegmans, and actually may try two bags next time I loved the addition so much)
- Spray 9 x 13" baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Melt 4 tbsp butter in microwave safe bowl (about 30-60 sec)
- Add marshmallows, stirring them to coat with butter.
- Microwave for 1- 1 1/2 minutes to melt marshmallows.
- Add chex and freeze-dried strawberries to a large mixing bowl and combine.
- When marshmallows are done, stir until smooth and mix into chex and strawberry mixture.
- Mix until all ingredients are combined and coated evenly.
- Scoop sticky mixture into baking dish and use a spatula or spoon sprayed with nonstick spray to press into an even layer.
- Allow mixture to cool and then using a knife sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cut into squares.
- Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy all of these dishes as much as we did! Feel free to bring these out anytime, not just on holidays too! Happy Belated Easter!
Sincerely,
Lindsay